The father of the groom — Olle Westling´s speech

Your Majesties, Your Imperial Highness, Your Royal Highnesses, The bride and groom, It is wonderful to see you both, Victoria and Daniel, radiant with happiness on this day — this great day. It is indeed a great day for all of us who have the privilege of being here with you both, but for you this is one of the absolute highlights of your lives — you are now husband and wife. Your marriage is not only a family affair — it is something that affects all the people of Sweden. The warmth and joy that stream towards you today from near and far are a wonderful acknowledgement of appreciation. Many people see the fact that you met and fell in love as something of a fairytale. The man of the people who won the Crown Princess. Yes, it is indeed a fairytale, but I do not think it is a coincidence that this has happened here in Sweden, where The King´s motto is “For Sweden — With the Times". Daniel, You are our dear son, and your mother, your sister and I have always been extremely proud of you. You have always chosen to go your own way, and you have done so with honour, whether in terms of your career choices, your friends or your leisure activities. Of course you never became a professional hockey player, but we´re still proud of you! Instead, we are proud to see that you have built up a successful company that brings together your great passions: health and people´s development. We were overjoyed when you told us that you had met a girl that you wanted to bring home to introduce to us. But we hadn´t counted on it being this particular girl! But once we had met you, dear Victoria, and experienced the warmth that you bring and the openness you show to everyone in our family — and not just our family; I remember one day in the lingonberry forest in Ockelbo, how you greeted everyone who crossed your path and showed such wonderful warmth. That´s when we understood why Daniel had fallen for you. It was quite clear that he had waited and made his choice with great care. He had once again gone his own way. Daniel, you have had to learn the hard way that life isn´t always a bed of roses. As a sixteen-year-old, you discovered just how important health is. You learned that you would need a kidney transplant — and yet you still kept your positive outlook on life and your belief in the future. Your warmth, your delight in life and your energy are important qualities that I hope you will hold onto all your life. Dear Victoria and Daniel, The best way of dealing with the great and important work that lies ahead of you is by helping each another. Talking with each other, supporting each other and working as a team are what will serve you best in the long run. This is something that Ewa and I have plenty of experience of, and we will gladly give whatever advice we can. As your parents, Daniel, your mother and I know that in Victoria you will have a loving, warm and kind-hearted wife. I will refrain from giving any other advice about how to keep your love alive. You have already proven that you know what to do. The way the two of you interact is truly exceptional. No-one who meets you can fail to see the deep love and sincere respect that you have for each other — I have no doubt that your feelings rub off on all those around you. Not only The Crown Princess, but also The King, The Queen and the entire Royal Family have received us with great kindness, and I would like to thank you warmly for this. It falls to me — and this is a great honour — to thank you for the hospitality that we have all shared this evening. Our hosts have invited us to this gala evening with personal warmth and generosity — an evening that is far from over, and which we will always remember. But for the food and drink that we have enjoyed so far, I would like to thank you most humbly and sincerely on behalf of myself and all my fellow guests! Let me conclude by once more giving four cheers and proposing a toast to the two most important people on this great day, the bride and groom! Four cheers for the bride and groom. Hurrah... Cheers!!